From Lily Tomlin and Colman Domingo to Andy Cohen and GLAAD, LGBTQ community & others pay tribute to Dolly Parton

Lily Tomin, Parton’s Nine to Five co-star and friend who presented Parton’s honorary Oscar last year: “Friend. Songwriter. The Great Harmonizer of Humanity. Dolly. Dolly. Dolly. Forever Dolly.”

Jane Fonda: To her gay and trans fans, I want you to know that she loved you. You know that without me telling you. She loved all her fans and they are legion. And you know she doesn’t want y’all to mourn now. Dress up and celebrate her spirit. But first, watch the final episode of Grace and Frankie where she’s an Angel, the head honcho working class angel in Heaven.

Colman Domingo: Dolly taught us that you can be anything and do anything and to do it with kindness. What a light. We are all grateful that we lived in a time of Dolly Parton. We will always love her.

Rosie O’Donnell: This earth angel has gone back to heaven where she came from – heartbroken.

Melissa Etheridge: Words fail me today, words to describe the spirit that was Dolly. I was blessed with knowing her, just a little. We all were. I will strive the rest of my days to be as joyful and loving as she was. Her talent and gifts she gave us will live on for generations. We are a better world because she walked among us. May she live in the stars of the night and in the light of our days.

James Longman (ABC News): Trying and failing to write the news about Dolly’s death. Our team wrote a beautiful tribute and I’ll post that soon. My work often brings me close to everything that’s horrible about this world. And life feels increasingly complex and polarised and loud and angry. So I guess this hits because it feels like we’ve lost someone we really needed. But Dolly showed us what’s possible, and that example won’t die. What a legacy.

Michael Feinstein: Dolly Parton was incredibly kind to me through the years. We met at Roddy McDowall’s house Lord knows how many years ago, and she was everything she appeared to be. She was one of the first people to agree to record a duet on my Gershwin Country album, and I will always be proud that I got to sing “Love Is Here To Stay” with her. What a thrill. And what an incredible enlightened soul who brought so much goodness to the planet. There’s a new Angel in heaven now.

Fortune Feimster: Good lord, this one hurts. We were just talking about Dolly on today’s Handsome pod. I loved this woman like she was a family member but that’s how she made everybody feel. One of the few entertainers truly beloved by everyone. She was so insanely talented and did so much for literacy in our country and spoke up for human rights. And she was such an ally for the gay community. I’m so grateful I got to meet her a few years ago just to have a moment to say thank you for what she’s given all of us. It’s hard to believe she’s now gone. But what a legacy. There will never be another Dolly.

Wilson Cruz: Just shattered and heartbroken. I’m so grateful to Dolly Parton for all of the goodness she put into the world, all the personal effort she made to make her corner of the world (which was the world) better and for the example she set for anyone in the public eye. My heart is with her family and friends and all who continue and WILL ALWAYS LOVE her. 

David Archuleta: Dolly, you changed this world for the better. Thank you for all the good you’ve done to brighten this world. The highlight of my time on American Idol was getting to share a brief moment with you and sing your song Smoky Mountain Memories that you wrote about your dad, and hear why that song was important to you. Thanks for helping me feel seen as a shy teenager from Utah, as you’ve made millions feel seen. Rest in peace. We will miss you 

George Takei: A great loss for us all. A light in our darkness, a talent like none other. Rest in song and mirth, Dolly. The heavens have a new star among them.

Andy Cohen: “We were all so lucky to live in her midst and get to experience her music, kindness, and joy.”

Tonatiuh (star of the recent Kiss of the Spider Woman film): What a legend. Thank you for your light, your courage, and your music. She taught people to be themselves and to love others as they are. She had the courage to stand up for everyone while in the public eye when it wasn’t popular. What an extraordinary human.

Nate Berkus: Dolly Parton was my very first celebrity guest on The Nate Berkus Show. She had nothing to promote, no new book, no new product. We asked her to come and she drove to NYC to sit with me.RIP beloved, legendary, charming, kind and funny friend.

GLAAD’s President and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis: “Dolly Parton was not only the ‘Queen of Country Music’, but indeed the queen of inclusivity and philanthropy. Her support for LGBTQ people spans decades, from the 1990s with her track ‘Family,’ where she expressed that all should be welcome regardless of religion or sexual orientation; to the powerful ballad “Travelin’ Thru,” which Parton penned for the film “TransAmerica” and earned her an Oscar nomination; to her early support of marriage equality in 2009, well before its legalization. Parton’s warm spirit, kindheartedness and joie de vivre deeply resonated with the LGBTQ community, cementing her as a global queer icon whose art always held space for outsiders, no matter the risk. Parton’s entire career was built on love and respect for all, and her unwavering allyship is a legacy that will last forever.”

Cody Alan: Ask anyone in the world who Dolly Parton is and they’ll know. Everyone knows her and everyone loves her. She was the one person we could all agree on, no matter what. Of course I admired her music and the extraordinary entertainer she was. She was an icon. But even more than that, she was an iconic human being—someone who gave back so much, and did it with love, laughter, kindness and grace. What a legacy she leaves behind. The light she carried will never be extinguished.

Lance Bass: The best of the best of the best of the best of the BEST! We will always love you Dolly.

Boy George: I cannot believe the world has lost Dolly Parton. OMG. I loved Dolly. Everyone loved Dolly!

Apple’s Tim Cook: Dolly Parton’s music helped light up the world. She was a brilliant songwriter, cultural icon, and dedicated philanthropist who helped instill a love of reading and learning in millions of children around the world. May she rest in peace.